Seating



Dec. 17, 1963 R. L. PROPST 3,114,577

SEATING Filed Oct. 6. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. #06577 4. 7421957BY y @i M R. L. PROPST Dec. 17, 1963 SEATING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed001;. 6, 1961 INVENTOR.

ifii'if A FY0257 Ami/V5745 United States Patent ()fifice 3,114,577SEATiNG Robert L. Propst, Ann Arbor, Mich, assignor to Herman Milier,inc, Zeeland, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Oct. 6, 1961, Ser.No. 143,338 11 Claims. (Ql. 297-445) This invention relates to chairs.More particularly, this invention relates to a chair or related unit offurniture especially well adapted to be used in seating situationsrequiring comfortable seating for extended periods.

in my co-pending application entitled Net Seating, Serial No. 114,739,filed June 5, 1961, a seating structure was disclosed which utilized aremovable net fabric for supporting the sitter, which greatly adds tohis comfort and minimizes discomfort caused by pressure point contact onconventional seating. The present invention discloses a seatingstructure utilizing such a net together with its excellent seatingproperties and having a means for allowing the net to be mounted on thechair by hand and tensioned without special tools. Thus, the net mountedby means of the structure disclosed herein may be quiclcly and simplyremoved to be laundered or replaced. N othing more than a simplemechanical motion is required to accomplish the particular tensionrequirement desired even though considerable force is necessary in orderto bring such a net to the tension necessary to bear seating loads. Theseating apparatus disclosed herein is especially well adapted to be usedby secretaries and the like.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved chairutilizing a net for supporting a person, the chair including a means fortensioning the net to properly bear seating loads.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a seating apparatuswhich enables one to make the proper adjustment without the use ofspecial tools, it being possible to vary the tension applied to suit theindividual taste of its user.

Another object of this invention is the provision of such a seatingstructure which enables one to quiclcly remove and replace the net forpurposes of cleaning and the like.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of such aseating apparatus which is extremely simple in construction and yetdurable and pleasing in appearance.

These and other objects of this invention will become obvious to thoseskilled in the chair art upon reading the following specification inconjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side view of one embodiment of a chair utilizing theprinciples of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the chair shown in FIG. 1, the chairbeing viewed generally from the rear;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the component parts ofthe chair shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the seat of the chair shown in FIG.2, before tensioning is applied to the supporting net; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 4, tension having beenapplied to the supporting net.

Briefly, this invention relates to a unit of furniture (such as a chair)which includes a frame, a net for supporting a person, the net beingextended across the frame and means being provided for expanding theframe to tension the net thereon.

Referring more specifically to e drawing, the reference numeral 1designates one embodiment of a chair utilizing the principles of thisinvention (FIGS. 1 and 2). It will be noted that this particularembodiment is especially well adapted to be used by secretaries,receptionists and the like. The chair 1 includes a base 2, a supporting3,lld,5'i7 Patented Dec. 17, 1963 member 10, a pair of frames 2t} and atogether with a pair of nets 50 and Slla tensioned over the frames.

The base 2 may be of any conventional construction. In the embodimentshown, the base 2 includes floor engaging legs 3 and a foot rail 4,together with a telescoping supporting post '5 and a means 6 for heightadjustment. The supporting member 10 is secured to the top of thesupporting post 5. The supporting member 10 is generally L-shapedincluding a pair of legs 1d and d2. This supporting member may be, forexample, of formed steel and act as a spine in the chair construction,the leg 11 supporting the seat frame 20 and the leg 12. supporting theback frame 20a.

The frames 20' and 20a are of essentially identical construction andassembly except for size and the like. Therefore, only one of theseframes will be described in detail. The seat frame 20 (FIG. 3) includesa pair of curved, winglike, shell-shaped elements 21 and 22. Theelements 21 and 22 may be, for example, formed or molded from suitablematerial such as plywood or plastic. The elements 21 and 22 respectivelyinclude outwardly extending lips 23 and 24, one substantially flat side25' and 26 together with openings 27 and 28 extending through the flatsides adjacent their tops. A formed housing 29 is provided in the bottomof the element 21 adjacent its flat side 25, the purpose of which willbe explained hereinafter.

A pair of elongated resilient cushioning strips 31 and 32, having therespective openings 33 and 3'4 therein are provided and may be formed ofmaterial such as rubber or neoprene. They are mounted on opposite sidesof the leg 111 of the supporting member 19, tying pins 35 being providedfor this purpose to be received in the holes 33 and 34. It will now beseen that the fiat sides 25 and 26 of the elements F211 and 22respectively may be positioned against the strips 311 and 32, the pins35 extending into the holes 27 and 28 and suitably securing the elementsin place. The elements 21 and 22 are secured in a manner allowing hingedmovement of the element as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The strips 3-1 and 32not only prevent rocking and rattling between the elements and thesupporting member, they also act as a compressible spring allowing somefinal adjustment of the tensioning of the net. A threaded hand screwextends through the flat sides 25 and 26 of elements 211 and 2:2, lyingbelow the strips 31 and '32 and below the leg 11 of the supportingmember 10. \A hand grip -41 is provided on one end of the screw 4t),nesting within the housing 29 in the bottom of the element 21. Uponrotation of the hand screw 4% through rotation of the grip 41, the lowerportions of the elements 21 and 22 are drawn toward each other, hingedmovement being provided by the pins '35. it will now be seen that suchmovement of these elements (as shown by the arrows in FIG. 5) expandsthe frame 20 to tension the net 50, to now be described in detail.

The nets and 50a are of similar construction and one will now bedescribed in detail. The net 50 is preferably of a nylon or Dacron knitfabric which greatly minimizes discomfort caused by pressure points andlack of ventilation. Such a net is advantageous in that it is tough andtear resistant, low in cost, easily cleaned, laundered or sterilized andvery adaptable to use in adjustable or motion situations. Such a net maybe provided in any color and exhibit considerable variation in densityand performance characteristics. In use, the weave should be closeenough to give the net an even fabric appearance with only slighttransparency effects. In the embodi ment shown, the net 50 includes acontinuous cord 51 of set length sewn into its edge, and adapted to bereceived under the lips 23 and 24 of the elements 211 and 22 of the seatframe 20. it should be noted that this net could also be positioned bymeans of screws or by means of a stiffened member sewn into the net andreceived in a groove on the underside of the lips 23 and 24.

The net 5% is mounted on the seat frame as follows. The hand screw 49 isrotated such that the elements 2 1 and 22 are positioned as shown inFIG. 4. The resilient strips 3 1 and 32 aid in this positioning of theelements. The net St is then stretched across the frame 20 and the cord51 is positioned under the lips 23 and 24 of the elements 2-1 and 2.2.strenuous effort is not required at this point since the net isrelatively slack when so mounted. Next, the grip All is rotated,rotating the hand screw 40 and pulling the bottoms of the elements 21and 22 toward each other. This in turn draws the elements in thedirection shown by the arrows in FIG. 5, expanding the frame 20 andtensioning the net 50 as shown. It will be seen that varying degrees oftension can be applied, depending on the degree of rotation of the handscrew 49. Thus, with an absolute minimum of effort, the net 51) ismounted and tensioned to bear the weight of the individual using thechair. If the net is to be removed for cleaning or changing, mererotation of the hand screw 40 returns the elements 21 'and 22 to theposition shown in FIG. 4, allowing simple removal of the net 50.

From an examination of FIG. 3, it will be seen that the net 59a ismounted on the back frame 20a in a manner similar to that justdescribed. Thus, a chair has been disclosed utilizing nets forsupporting the weight of its user, means being provided for applyingproper tension to the nets to support the loads imposed by theindividual user. I he comfort provided by such net seating has thus beenprovided in a chair of relatively simple construction, yet giving theuser the benefit of being able to quickly change or launder the nets,together with providing the advantage of adjustment for individualcomfort and liking.

While only one embodiment of this invention has been shown anddescribed, it may be possible to practice the invention through theutilization of certain other embodiments without departing from thespirit and scope thereof. Such other embodiments are to be included as apart of this invention unless the following claims specifically stateotherwise.

I claim:

1. A unit of furniture including a frame; said frame including a pair ofcurved, shell-shaped elements, each element having a lip extendingoutwardly from its top edge and one side wall being substantially flat;an elongated supporting member; said flat sides of said elementshingedly secured to opposite sides of said member adjacent their tops; anet for supporting a person; said net extending across said frame andsecured about said lips of said elements; and means for drawing thebottoms of said elements toward one another for tensioning said net.

2. A unit of furniture as defined in claim 1, including resilient stripspositioned between said supporting member and said elements and saidmeans for drawing the bottoms of said elements toward one anothercomprising a threaded hand screw extending through said bottoms of saidfiat sides.

3. A seating structure, comprising: a base; a generally L-shapedsupporting member secured to said base; a first frame secured to one legof said member; a second frame secured to the other leg of said member;a pair of nets; one of said nets extending across said first frame; theother of said nets extending across said second frame; and means forexpanding said first and second frames for tensioning said nets wherebysaid nets support the back and seat of a person.

4. A seating apparatus, comprising: a base; a generally L-shapedsupporting member secured to said base; a first frame secured to one legof said member; a second frame secured to the other leg of said member;each of said .4 first and second frames including at least two elements,said elements movable with respect to one another; a pair of nets; oneof said nets extending across said first frame and secured to the outeredges of its associated elements; the other of said nets extendingacross said second frame and secured to the outer edges of its associated elements; and means associated with each of said first and secondframes for moving their respective elements with respect to one anotherto tension said nets, whereby said nets provide support for the back andseat of a person.

5. A seating apparatus, comprising: a base; a generally L-shapedsupporting member secured to said base; a first frame secure-d to oneleg of said member; a second frame secured to the other leg of saidmember; each of said first and second frames including a pair ofshellshaped elements, said elements hingedly secured to opposite sidesof their respective legs; a pair of nets; one of said nets extendingacross said first frame and secured to the outer edges of its associatedelements; the other of said nets extending across said second frame andsecured to the outer edges of its associated elements; and meansassociated with each of said first and second frames for moving thebottoms of their respective elements toward each other to tension saidnets, whereby said nets provide support for the back and seat of aperson.

6. A seating apparatus as defined in claim 5 and including flexiblestrips between said respective elements and legs.

7. A seating apparatus, comprising: a base; a generally L-shapedsupporting member secured to said base; a first frame secured to one legof said member; a second frame secured to the other leg of said member;each of said first and second frames including a pair of shell-shapedelements, each of said elements having a lip extending outwardly fromits top edge and one side wall being substantially flat; said fiat sidesof said elements hingedly secured to opposite sides of their respectivelegs adjacent their tops; a pair of nets; one of said nets extendingacross said first frame and secured about said lips of its associatedelements; the other of said nets extending across said second frame andsecured about said lips of its associated elements; and means associatedwith each of said first and second frames for moving the bottoms oftheir respective elements toward one another to tension said nets,whereby said nets provide support for the back and seat of a person.

8. A seating apparatus as defined in claim 7, said means for drawingsaid bottoms of said elements together comprising a threaded hand screwextending through said bottoms of said side walls.

9. A seating apparatus as defined in claim 7 and including resilientstrips positioned between said respective elements and legs.

10. A unit of furniture including in combination a frame, a support forsaid frame, said frame including at least two elements, said elementsmovable one with respect to the other, a net for supporting a person,said net extending across said frame and secured to the outer portionsof said elements, and means for moving said elements with respect to oneanother for tensioning said net.

11. A unit of furniture as defined in claim 10, said elements comprisinga pair of net receiving members pivotal one with respect to the other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,357,737 Solaini Nov. 2, 1920 1,976,326 Carlton Oct. 9, 1934 2,738,835Eames Mar. 20, 1956 3,024,068 Eames Mar. 6, 1962

1. A UNIT OF FURNITURE INCLUDING A FRAME; SAID FRAME INCLUDING A PAIR OFCURVED, SHELL-SHAPED ELEMENTS, EACH ELEMENT HAVING A LIP EXTENDINGOUTWARDLY FROM ITS TOP EDGE AND ONE SIDE WALL BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT;AN ELONGATED SUPPORTING MEMBER; SAID FLAT SIDES OF SAID ELEMENTSHINGEDLY SECURED TO OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID MEMBER ADJACENT THEIR TOPS; ANET FOR SUPPORTING A PERSON; SAID NET EXTENDING ACROSS SAID FRAME ANDSECURED ABOUT SAID LIPS OF SAID ELEMENTS; AND MEANS FOR DRAWING THEBOTTOMS OF SAID ELEMENTS TOWARD ONE ANOTHER FOR TENSIONING SAID NET.